A recent report by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) has revealed that Croatian workers endure the longest workweek in the European Union, excluding unpaid and unrecorded overtime, which remains alarmingly prevalent. The Croatian Union of Autonomous Trade Unions (SSSH) highlights this issue, stressing the urgent need for reforms.
Sunčica Brnardić, Executive Secretary for Labour Law and Labour Market at SSSH, stated that while Croatian labour law defines a full workweek as 40 hours, deviations are possible but seldom utilised, often to the detriment of workers who struggle to maintain their salary levels. Brnardić pointed out that Croatia lags behind other EU countries in improving working conditions, negatively impacting its competitiveness.
In other EU nations, reductions in work hours are typically achieved through sectoral collective agreements that recognise specific industry needs. France, for example, reduced the workweek to 35 hours by law in 1998, which spurred collective bargaining on this and other employment issues. SSSH research suggests that shortening the workweek by three hours would significantly enhance job satisfaction and productivity, particularly in the private sector.
This data underscores the critical need for Croatia to adopt more progressive labour policies to align with EU standards and improve the well-being of its workforce.
